Another season of Saturday Night Live come and gone. 34 seasons is an impressive feat for any program. This show really has become an institution, as well as a launching point for many comedy careers. One of those careers is Will Ferrell’s, so it seems right that he is back hosting the season finale. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that he has a big summer movie opening this year too.
I was happy to see that SNL ended the season on a high note, as I thought this was one of the best episodes of the season. Like last week there were a ton of special appearances and cameos, some oddly placed, but they were still fun. Let’s break it down….
Cold Open: I was going to complain about the show opening with an out of date sketch until I realized that Will Ferrell was hosting and it was very appropriate to throw a Bush skit in the mix. I think Ferrell’s broadway show has improved his Bush impression; it’s really great now. Overall, I thought this was a funny was to start the show.
Monologue: Even though the “dramatic” monologue seemed to drag on just a tad too long, I liked this monologue. Heck, that scarf alone got a laugh from me.
Wade Blasingame: They’re picking the season finale to repeat prerecorded commercials? It wasn’t even a recent one.
The Lawrence Welk Show: I’m sure Cate was happy to see this sketch, after dubbing the first Lawrence Welk Show sketch the best of the year on SNL. I usually get on SNL‘s case when they blatantly repeat a skit like this, but it’s still funny. I do wish they had changed it up just a little bit more than they did, though.
Celebrity Jeopardy: Oh, how I’ve missed the Celebrity Jeopardy skits. Add in a brilliant cameo by Tom Hanks and a special appearance by Norm MacDonald as Burt Reynolds and this was a definite winner. In fact, I think this skit made me laugh more than any other skit this season.
Inside the NBA: A very clever sketch. It’s about time those ridiculous advertisement pop-ups on TNT and TBS got skewered.
Weekend Update: It was a fun surprise to see Amy Poehler back behind the update desk. We were also treated to an appearance by Will Ferrell’s “Harry Caray” from beyond the grave, which was always one of my favorites. Amy and Seth also did a “Really?!?” segment, and while it was funny, I don’t think it was their best.
Funeral: I wasn’t so hot on this sketch when it was run during the Hugh Laurie episode, set in a wedding. This one was really similar, and I wasn’t so hot on this one either. The Maya Rudolph cameo was such a waste of her talents.
Vietnam Musical: What a bizarre sketch. I don’t really know what else to say about it, except that it was a particularly strange way to feature cameos from Anne Hathaway, Paul Rudd, Elisabeth Moss, and Artie Lange.
I was wondering the same thing myself, but I don’t think it was. I couldn’t find anything on the interwebs that indicated it was his last show, and I think they would have made a little more of a deal about it, considering that he’s been on for SO long.
I love the Lawrence Welk sketch just because Kristin Wiig does bizarre so well ( I love her Kathie Lee too). But if they were going to trot that out again and Amy Poehler and Anne Hathaway were there, why not let them be in it since they were in the original sketch? Oh well, those little baby hands trying to catch bubbles cracks me up every time!
And I thought it may have been Darrell’s last show too since he got a special thanks at the end. I don’t know why you’d call the opening “out of date” since Chaney has been hogging the media spotlight as of late.
Yeah, that’s a good point, re: cheney. I think my brain just automatically jumps to “irrelevant” and “out-of-date” whenever I see Darrell Hammond… Too mean?
Say what you want about the addition of the Wade Blasingame commercial, but seeing Chris Parnell run around in a blue Speedo taking a dump on someone’s yard cracks me up every time.
I was a little surprised that there wasn’t a Digital Short featuring Will Ferrell.
Was this Darrell Hammond’s last show?
*POST AUTHOR*
I was wondering the same thing myself, but I don’t think it was. I couldn’t find anything on the interwebs that indicated it was his last show, and I think they would have made a little more of a deal about it, considering that he’s been on for SO long.
Celebrity Jeopardy had me in tears. That was the best skit of the while season, albeit a little long – the end was meh! but still… great one :-)
I love the Lawrence Welk sketch just because Kristin Wiig does bizarre so well ( I love her Kathie Lee too). But if they were going to trot that out again and Amy Poehler and Anne Hathaway were there, why not let them be in it since they were in the original sketch? Oh well, those little baby hands trying to catch bubbles cracks me up every time!
And I thought it may have been Darrell’s last show too since he got a special thanks at the end. I don’t know why you’d call the opening “out of date” since Chaney has been hogging the media spotlight as of late.
*POST AUTHOR*
Yeah, that’s a good point, re: cheney. I think my brain just automatically jumps to “irrelevant” and “out-of-date” whenever I see Darrell Hammond… Too mean?
> “a special appearance by Norm MacDonald as Burt Reynolds”
Don’t you mean Turd Ferguson?
Say what you want about the addition of the Wade Blasingame commercial, but seeing Chris Parnell run around in a blue Speedo taking a dump on someone’s yard cracks me up every time.
I was a little surprised that there wasn’t a Digital Short featuring Will Ferrell.